“Help!” Jared yelled, “Can you hear me! Help!” He feels the cold grabbing him and pulling him deeper into a slumber. He could no longer feel his toes and ankles. He lays there, unmoving and unmotivated to yell, listening to the search team above him. “Dammit Jared where are you?” Tiffany groaned as she continued to move snow and chop at ice surrounding the craft. Softly he speaks “Oh Tiffany I had so hoped we could marry and have children. A sweet little redhead girl and a son to match. Now I won’t even make it out of here alive.” He paused for a minute and let out another scream, “Tiffany HELP!” Above him, he hears what he had been hoping for. “Did anyone else hear that? Jared where are you?” “I am right here,” yelled to her. “Guys here, start digging right here carefully though I know I heard something.” Jared tried to smile, knowing she was nearby made this a lot easier. Atleast he knew she would find his body and he wouldn’t be left here after his death only to be found after global warming had continued north. He was struggling more to keep breathing and his legs and scrotum had lost their feeling. His hands and arms had become immobile and now he had about 30 minutes before his inner core would be so cold he would no longer be able to breathe and his heart would stop entirely. He listened to what was occurring above him and deep inside he knew she wasn’t going to get to him in time.
As he took what he believed to be his last breath a hand caved the snow surrounding his face in and he felt it graze his nose. The hand broke an air pocket allowing air to flow into his space. Tiffany screamed “Everyone here we got him.” Those were the last words he heard.
Two months later he heard beeping noises and he slowly opened his eyes to a brightly lit room. I am really alive he thought. He continued opening his eyes and there stood the most beautiful sight he could have hoped for. Tiffany was right be his side. She yelled to a nurse. Jared tried to speak but was unsuccessful. He realized at that moment, he still couldn’t feel his feet and legs.
He looked towards his feet and saw that they were gone. Tiffany took his hand and said softly, “Jared, we will be ok. Rest now and we can talk more when you wake back up. I love you and I am so thankful you are alive.”
“Hi, I’m surprised it took you so long to find me. I have been waiting a very long time for you. My name is Evelyn, for real, well you knew that didn’t you or you wouldn’t have found me.”
“I did. I’m Millicent. Let’s get straight to the point. As far as the locals are concerned you have a twin. Do you remember the process when you found your doppelgänger?”
“It was a couple hundred years ago now. It’s actually time for me to move on so this is rather perfect timing. So I have a twin here to help me move.”
“Yes, and since I found you, we have until the next full moon to complete the transformation. “
The two begin their process of packing up and moving to a new location. When the full moon occurred, the two had swapped places and it was time for Evelyn to pass on to the afterlife, whatever that is and Millicent has taken over the Bradford name.
As Maggie got as comfortable as she could, she thought back to the rules. This one there was no loophole for. She had broken the golden witchcraft rule. Never perform any ritual that goes against a sister witch. Now she must spend 100 years in the isolation and hopefully the ancestors will allow her to carry on after her penance has been served.
